A family living on Mersea Island off the Essex coast were treated to what is believed to be the world’s first pizza delivery by hovercraft.

Kelly Wright tweeted Domino’s on Saturday bemoaning the lack of delivery service to the island, which is cut off to the mainland during the high tide.

However, the pizza chain stepped up and arranged for certified hovercraft pilot Benn Bristow - who has been dubbed the ‘High Tide Hero’ by Domino’s - to deliver the Wright family their food.

The pizzas made the journey from Domino’s Colchester University Quays store to Mersea Island, a distance of more than five miles, within 20 minutes.

Amandeep Sahota, Domino’s Colchester University Quays store manager, said: “We get all kinds of unusual requests, but we think this is definitely a world first.

“Our store team were keen to rise to the challenge, so we pulled out all the stops for an extraordinary delivery to give the Wright family a fresh pizza order to remember.

“Our High Tide Hero proved that when it comes to putting our customers’ needs first, we’ve got this.”

Kelly added: “Life on Mersea is great, but being separated by the tide does come with its challenges, including getting hold of a quick and easy Domino’s delivery.

“I have been craving a Pepperoni Passion for a while and seeing a hovercraft appear on the horizon with our order in was amazing.

“What’s more, the pizza was still hot! We really were the envy of all the island.”

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